Nor'easter leads to epic Saturday at NH mountains

Ski resorts receive more than 2 feet of snow

But it was an apt description of the conditions skiers and snowboarders enjoyed Saturday across New England.

Those who braved the roads, particularly through the snow-whipped Franconia Notch, received a big benefit for their efforts.

More than a foot and in most cases a foot and a half to two feet of light, dry powder covered trails from the Massachusetts border to the tip of the state.

Receiving some of the most snow was the Pat's Peak and the Mount Sunapee area with about two feet while Gunstock claimed about 21 inches at dawn, and the snow continued to fall throughout the day in the mountains, where we found ourselves enjoying lots of pow at Bretton Woods, which reported 14 inches.

The day began slowly around this house with the sound of the State plow rumbling down our road. The alarm went off at 6:15 but it was still dark and snowing and we were too tired from a busy week to get out early, so we slept in.

After looking at websites, we thought that the best plan might be to go to nearby Waterville Valley but when we got to Campton and stopped for coffee, we heard that most of the lifts were on wind hold.

Our friends, who were meeting us from Gilford, suggested instead we head to Bretton Woods, which often is protected from wind if Waterville is getting hit.So we got back on Interstate 93 and pointed it through the Notch where visibility was terrible. The snow was still falling and swirling and when I asked my daughter Eliza to tell me how the trails looked on the front five at Cannon.

"What trails?" she said. You could not even see them.

On the other side of the notch, the snow was falling harder it seemed and no one was on Route 3, which was a little eerie. The road was covered in snow and we moved at a speed of about 40 miles per hour till we got to Bretton Woods.

The place was surpringly busy, with lots of young families out enjoying the newly fallen snow.

Our friends, who had skied Bretton Woods the day before, said the trail count had shot up, and the board said 98 percent of the terrain was open.

The snow was ankle deep and uncut all over the mountain. Everything was open, including the glades which found our group of six cutting it up, particularly in the Rosebrook Area and the West Mountain.

While about 8 degrees it was not really that cold when you were out there. We would ski about five runs then come in to warm up. We skied until 4 p.m., a rarity for me, because it was just so good. There was a lot of wooping and hollering to be heard out there. My knees, which normally hurt after that much skiing, were happy because the dry powder absorbed the turns and I felt like I was just floating down the mountain.

Sunday looks to be a faboulous day to get out and we are headed to the Mount Washington Valley early to ski Cranmore.